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About the Exhibition

Artistic Statement

The curators of the USITT Exhibit for the 2019 Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space recognize that the United States is a nation of immigrants, and celebrates our diversity. The majority of individuals living in the U.S. today have immigrant roots. Those immigrant roots, together with the people that can trace their ancestry back to one of the 500 plus Native American tribes, we refer to as the cultural DNA of the artists who create the work in our communities. This rich cultural diversity and wisdom contributes to the creativity, ingenuity, and knowledge that we find inspirational.  

With this in mind, the curators are seeking to exhibit design work that represents the finest in artistic achievement presented in the U.S in the last 4 years and to showcase the cultural DNA of the artist behind the work. We recognize the importance of focusing on the work and a diversity of work from different corners of the American theatrical landscape. We primarily want to feature work from a variety of genres, presentation styles, disciplines, regions, and institutions. This process will include actively reaching out to acquire a broad cross section of work to consider for the curatorial team to evaluate as we attempt the near impossible task of representing a country as large and diverse as the United States. 

 In addition to the selected work, the exhibition will incorporate the oral history of the designers, positioning them in relationship to the field and their own work. This comprises the designer’s own cultural background, their connection to performance design, their mentors and influencers, who they have mentored and influenced, and how these factors have affected their approach to design and the designs themselves.

Build Team

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